VOA标准英语2008年-Drug Trade Through West Africa Disrupts Local S

By Nico Colombant
Dakar
02 January 2008

South American drug cartels are increasingly using unsecured West Africa as a transit¹ point to get drugs to Europe and also back to the United States. But this route has a spillover effect in Africa, disrupting local economies and societies. From our West Africa bureau in Dakar, VOA's Nico Colombant, with reporting from Tatiana Mossot, reports about one such case in normally tranquil² Benin.

A boat carrying dozens of cartons of cocaine³ recently capsized in these waters in the beachfront of Grand Popo, 90 kilometers from the capital Cotonou.

Police say two Ghanaian drug traffickers were killed by villagers, their bodies thrown in the water, while a third trafficker, a Guatemalan national, escaped by giving away money. But he left behind his passport.

Police say they recovered 400 kilograms of cocaine.

But some of the police were accused of stealing several cartons, creating divisions, suspicion and low morale⁴ in the community.

The incident also caused unease among villagers, afraid they would be arrested.

One fisherman says people saw what happened, but refuse to speak about it. Some of them, he says, have fled the region. He says they are afraid of police, as well as the traffickers.

At police headquarters in Cotonou, also is worried.

He says people are discovering the commercial value of illegal drugs. He says some cocaine being trafficked through West Africa now ends up on local markets, with new African traffickers, dealers⁵, and even users creating a threat to stability in an impoverished⁶ environment.

Armado de Andres, who is with the United Nations' anti-narcotics office, says there are already little regional mafias cooperating with major South American and European cartels in smuggling⁷ drugs.

South American cocaine producers increasingly route shipments through West Africa on the way to Europe. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says traffickers are taking advantage of relatively⁸ short shipping⁹ distances - just a few days by sea from South America, and weak law enforcement and border control in impoverished African nations to move their drugs.

The U.N. reported late last year that authorities seized 33 tons of cocaine in West Africa since 2005. Before that, barely a single ton had ever been seized in the region. The U.N. estimates that about 40 tons of cocaine was shipped through West Africa on the way to Europe.

Villagers in this small community say they feel they are being made victims of a new wave of crime and trouble caused by people outside their continent.

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

3 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

4 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

5 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

6 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。